DR. KATHERINE S. CHO

  • Home
  • About
  • The Work
    • Research & Projects
    • Pedagogy & Teaching
    • Designs
  • Resources
    • "Me"-Sourced
    • "Out"-Sourced
    • Opportunities & Due Dates
    • Templates, Layouts
  • Entries
  • Home
  • About
  • The Work
    • Research & Projects
    • Pedagogy & Teaching
    • Designs
  • Resources
    • "Me"-Sourced
    • "Out"-Sourced
    • Opportunities & Due Dates
    • Templates, Layouts
  • Entries

Tips. Tidbits. Advice.

LESSONS LEARNED ALONGSIDE NAVIGATING THE ACADEMY (BLOG FORMAT)

Words Matter: Cover Letters & Resumes

6/21/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
I decided to do a part 2 that build on a previous post I did about resumes here. While this post has some overlap, I want to focus on the importance of words and word choices for this one. More specifically, how we write about and describe ourselves sets a tone about our valuation and expertise. One of my common comments to students when reviewing their cover letter is: don't write like you are a student. What do I mean by this? 
Obviously, for many of you reading this post, you might be a student, or someone who is entry level. You might feel as though you aren't qualified enough for the post, and are grateful to even submit. All of that might be true: but for many if not most of these cover letters, you are writing as you are a future colleague. Writing as a colleague means you aren't just in a place of "gratitude" or "passion" or "enthusiasm" (which again, can all be true). Writing as a colleague means you need to showcase your skills, your qualifications, and why you are already perfect for this job. 

To be clear, the importance of word choice matters both for cover letters regarding jobs and internships as well as for cover letters for academic positions like faculty and post-doc positions. (For tips about the academic job market, find my post here). 

Since I'm a visual learner, I decided to include the presentation I had created and shared with my students, which is part of their professional development sequence series. The slides include information about the difference between cover letters and resumes, key points about word choices, and a concrete example of what I mean when I say "don't write like a student." Good luck on the search process, which ever one(s) they may be!
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    ABOUT

    This page includes tips, advice, and ideas put together by yours truly (hence the "me"). For more, check out "OUT-SOURCED" for curated resources that I find helpful, or scroll down for my  WRITING BOOKSHELF. If you're looking for guides, check out TEMPLATES.

    Categories

    All
    Academia
    Design
    Last Day Digest
    Professional Development
    Writing


    Writing Books
    ​Bookshelf
    Writing is a craft. To sharpen mine, I read a fair amount of books, articles, excerpts, and more. At least for the books, here are some I've enjoyed. 

    And if you're looking to buy a book, support local bookstores, and/or buy via Bookshop.

    And if you want to support the content I create on this site, you can "buy me a cup of coffee" through the button. Thank you~
    Support thru coffeeGift A Cup

    Archives

    August 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016


Home

About

linktr.Ee

Photos used under Creative Commons from homegets.com, Artem Beliaikin, Homedust, Semtrio, shixart1985, blueprinthomes.com.au, davidstewartgets, wuestenigel, topten5, trydberg